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Hi everybody,
This time we go south again, however instead of mile as a bonus, let's enjoy a visit to a maintenance unit.
Comments off-course always welcome
Alain
Background : Meridiana used a couple of pics shot at FLR back in February and asked me what I wished. My answer was a ticket, much easier to give than cash and a ramp access at both Olbia and Florence.
Meridiana roots date back to 1963, when Olbia based Alisarda started trading as a charter and taxi company with a Beechcraft 18
[photoid=282275], a unit of which has been preciously kept as a gate guardian when withdrawn from use. Next aircrafts to be operated where Nord 262s, Fokker 27s which allowed expansion further afield to Nice (served on seasonnal basis) and DC.9-15s and 32s. Network expanded steadily not only within Italy by the addition of bases at Florence and Verona but across the European Union as well, and in 1990, the airline came to the point of rebranding as today's Meridiana for better identification.
Your ride
October 17th 1993, IG / ISS 324
Last service of summer season 1993 from Paris/CDG 1 to Olbia/Costa Smeralda, nautical miles 651
Time airborne : 1 hrs 38
16.05 / 18.20
Douglas DC.9-51, I-SMEO, 47655 / 763, C24Y95 capacity sold as all-Y.
[photoid=200663]
For we 37 passengers, boarding was called at 16.05, we accessed to the Nine by using the integrated foldable front main exit airstairs and my seat was 11A. Yet spooling up the engines took some time due to a slow coming clearence from the TC, according to details over the P/A in Italian and English, which were the language finally in use. Eventually, they came to life at 16.28 and within the next minute, the trusty DC 9 vacated the stand and taxied to runway 10/28 from which we rotated at 16.40.
Steep climbing the good DC.9 left time enough for a glimpse over the building site of today's terminal 2E & F.
While Mike-Oscar headed South, a gorgeous snack with salmon and fois-gras associated with a nice white wine was served. Advising us of descent at 18.04, last city overflown before entering the Italian airspace was Bastia/Corsica. According to some timeless aeronautical logic, this translated into short finals at 18.16, landing at 18.18 and pulling along on stand at 18.21.
Next day was for retrieving the related ramp access for OLB and actually make the pictures, of whatever came in. As far the airport was concerned, winter had already begun as non Sardinian based charters had terminated their summer comitments. So left on the menu were Meridiana's services, and some occasional visitors such as [photoid=5659978] this USAF C9 "Nightingale" and some very occasional taxis from Besit, a locally based shortlived Metro operator. The commercial ramp was sandwiched by the diminutive Besit's ramp on right side and much more larger Meridiana's one by heading left, which we now are doing
Led by both safety, by walking along a service line and attraction for vintage aircraft, our visit started by getting close to the Beech 18.
Then, it took a more or less counter-clock wise pattern to capitalize on good light to picture what was outside the shop. Starting with a tri-tiered identity bright yellow finished Bell 412
The region was the owner, Meridiana was the operator and the supervisor was the Vigilia del Fueco, the Italian national fire fighting authority.
Walking further ahead allowed a nice series of views
[photoid=5659975] MD83 I-SMET was being pushed back for day parking alongside stablemate I-SMEU, a DC.9-51 [photoid=261481] which was up for some change of wheels
some artistic view of a tri dimensional perpective of the company name
tail line-up
and time to visit the shop hosted by HB-IKL on the right and
a neatly stocked array of spares, including a jet-engine on the left
Close-ups on HB-IKL at bay
and
view of IKL with her seats stocked outside
some kind of cherry over the cake, the engine workshop hosted by a client
Later came a visit of the operational rooms and even the control tower, sadly enough, the light was not on our sides.
Till the next
Alain
This time we go south again, however instead of mile as a bonus, let's enjoy a visit to a maintenance unit.
Comments off-course always welcome
Alain
Background : Meridiana used a couple of pics shot at FLR back in February and asked me what I wished. My answer was a ticket, much easier to give than cash and a ramp access at both Olbia and Florence.
Meridiana roots date back to 1963, when Olbia based Alisarda started trading as a charter and taxi company with a Beechcraft 18
[photoid=282275], a unit of which has been preciously kept as a gate guardian when withdrawn from use. Next aircrafts to be operated where Nord 262s, Fokker 27s which allowed expansion further afield to Nice (served on seasonnal basis) and DC.9-15s and 32s. Network expanded steadily not only within Italy by the addition of bases at Florence and Verona but across the European Union as well, and in 1990, the airline came to the point of rebranding as today's Meridiana for better identification.
Your ride
October 17th 1993, IG / ISS 324
Last service of summer season 1993 from Paris/CDG 1 to Olbia/Costa Smeralda, nautical miles 651
Time airborne : 1 hrs 38
16.05 / 18.20
Douglas DC.9-51, I-SMEO, 47655 / 763, C24Y95 capacity sold as all-Y.
[photoid=200663]
For we 37 passengers, boarding was called at 16.05, we accessed to the Nine by using the integrated foldable front main exit airstairs and my seat was 11A. Yet spooling up the engines took some time due to a slow coming clearence from the TC, according to details over the P/A in Italian and English, which were the language finally in use. Eventually, they came to life at 16.28 and within the next minute, the trusty DC 9 vacated the stand and taxied to runway 10/28 from which we rotated at 16.40.
Steep climbing the good DC.9 left time enough for a glimpse over the building site of today's terminal 2E & F.
While Mike-Oscar headed South, a gorgeous snack with salmon and fois-gras associated with a nice white wine was served. Advising us of descent at 18.04, last city overflown before entering the Italian airspace was Bastia/Corsica. According to some timeless aeronautical logic, this translated into short finals at 18.16, landing at 18.18 and pulling along on stand at 18.21.
Next day was for retrieving the related ramp access for OLB and actually make the pictures, of whatever came in. As far the airport was concerned, winter had already begun as non Sardinian based charters had terminated their summer comitments. So left on the menu were Meridiana's services, and some occasional visitors such as [photoid=5659978] this USAF C9 "Nightingale" and some very occasional taxis from Besit, a locally based shortlived Metro operator. The commercial ramp was sandwiched by the diminutive Besit's ramp on right side and much more larger Meridiana's one by heading left, which we now are doing
Led by both safety, by walking along a service line and attraction for vintage aircraft, our visit started by getting close to the Beech 18.
Then, it took a more or less counter-clock wise pattern to capitalize on good light to picture what was outside the shop. Starting with a tri-tiered identity bright yellow finished Bell 412
The region was the owner, Meridiana was the operator and the supervisor was the Vigilia del Fueco, the Italian national fire fighting authority.
Walking further ahead allowed a nice series of views
[photoid=5659975] MD83 I-SMET was being pushed back for day parking alongside stablemate I-SMEU, a DC.9-51 [photoid=261481] which was up for some change of wheels
some artistic view of a tri dimensional perpective of the company name
tail line-up
and time to visit the shop hosted by HB-IKL on the right and
a neatly stocked array of spares, including a jet-engine on the left
Close-ups on HB-IKL at bay
and
view of IKL with her seats stocked outside
some kind of cherry over the cake, the engine workshop hosted by a client
Later came a visit of the operational rooms and even the control tower, sadly enough, the light was not on our sides.
Till the next
Alain
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